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Stockton Town recorded their 200th league win in 272 Teesside, Wearside and Northern League games, against a team that started life as Stockton Cricket Club FC, who then became Stockton FC and now Thornaby FC.
Stockton made a number of changes with Liam Jordan, Adam Nicholson, Fred Woodhouse and Kallum Hannah all returning to the starting line up from last weeks team against Ryton & Crawcrook.
Both sides created chances in the first half, Thornaby’s Benjamin Jackson brought a fine save from Stockton’s goalkeeper Liam Jordan, while at the other end Chris Dunwell headed the ball downwards to Tony Johnson whose low shot brought a fantastic save from Liam Gibbs who then managed to smother the ball.
The next chance also fell Stockton’s way, this time to Chris Dunwell, who after another fine save from Gibbs had a great chance to open the scoring as he ran on to a loose ball but fired over the bar from close range.
Thornaby almost took the lead just before the break as a shot from outside the box by Louis Johnson glanced the top of the bar, so the first half finished goal less.
Stockton had a much better performance at the start of the second half, as Hannah and Tony Johnson had two shots that Gibbs managed to keep out.
Joe Scaife-Wheatley raced into the box but Gibbs pulled off a fine save.
It was all Stockton now and Tony Johnson could have opened the scoring but headed wide from close range, with all the pressure on the visitors, it was just a matter of time before one went into the net, this came in the 59th minute. Alan Cossavella brought the ball out, fed Fred Woodhouse who in turn set Chris Stockton away down the left, the cross came to Kallum Hannah who in an instant fired the ball into the roof of the Thornaby net.
Two minutes later and Joe Scaife Wheatley almost made it 2-0 but his shot went across the face of goal, and just wide of the far post.
Stockton were almost made to pay for not scoring a second goal, Thornaby’s Jack McGurk brought a fine close range save from Liam Jordan and moments later Jackson sent a shot towards the top corner where Jordan managed to get a hand to the ball to tip the ball over the bar
Stockton soon regained the initiative with a shot from Sonni Coleman that hit the base of the post and bounced clear, before the decisive 2nd goal eventually arrived in the 89th minute, Fred Woodhouse slid the ball past Gibbs for Johnson to race onto and fire the ball into the net.
The victory see’s us joint top of the table and we now go into a sequence of 3 cup games, with the first away to Whickham FC on Tuesday evening.
